Joey Votto learned the hard way that baseball has a nasty sense of humor.
During the fourth inning of NBC and Peacock’s Game 3 broadcast between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies in the National League wild-card series, the former MVP looked at a 3-0 Braves lead and called his shot in the worst possible way.
“As good as Zack Wheeler looks,” Votto told play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian, “I do not see the Braves scoring any more runs the rest of the way.”
That prediction didn’t survive the inning.
Wheeler went on to issue a walk, then Ozzie Albies launched a two-run homer, and suddenly Votto’s declaration was out of date before the frame was even finished.
The winner of the game advances to the National League Division Series. Votto does not. His run as an in-game analyst ends with this series no matter what happens, and that was always going to be the case because NBC doesn’t have broadcast or streaming rights beyond the wild-card round.
Votto, a 17-year MLB veteran and former National League MVP, is in his first season behind the microphone after retiring as a player in 2024. He may still pop up with MLB Network as a studio analyst during the World Series, but this part of his broadcasting apprenticeship is about to wrap.
For one moment on Thursday, though, he got introduced to one of baseball’s oldest traditions: say a game is over, and the game usually answers back.
In Other News...
Braves Face A Massive Game 2 Decision After NLDS Opener
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Now the attention shifts to Game 2, where Atlanta is staring at a significant pitching question with Chris Sales availability still unsettled. The Braves will need a sharper offensive night after struggling in the opener, but the bigger issue may be how Weiss pieces together the pitching plan if Sale is not available. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Fans Have Every Right To Question This October Pitching Call
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Chris Sale being available only sharpens the debate, because this was the kind of game where the Braves had every reason to lean on their best options rather than sort through lower-tier arms. Instead, they went in a direction that left plenty of room for second-guessing, and for a fan base used to thinking big in the postseason, that is exactly the kind of call that sticks. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Already Face A Bigger NLDS Problem Than The Game 1 Loss
The Braves left Dodger Stadium with a Game 1 loss, but the score may not have been the most concerning part of the night. Los Angeles got six innings of one-run ball from Tarik Skubal and three home runs from Teoscar Hernndez, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy in a 5-3 win, all of it unfolding in near-record heat that made for a grinding October opener.
Sunday evening brings Game 2, and Atlanta now has to answer more than just the immediate damage on the scoreboard. The bigger concern is whether the Braves can settle in quickly enough against a Dodgers team that already looked comfortable, while also coping with conditions that made every inning feel heavier than usual. [Read more 🡒]